This article discusses how to make better decisions among the 35,000 choices we face daily, moving beyond basic decision-making frameworks to more impactful approaches. The author provides three key tips: delve deeper to understand the full scope and interconnected systems behind an issue, embrace different viewpoints to see the bigger picture and anticipate how your perspective might evolve, and build networks that help you adapt quickly when unexpected factors emerge.

This article identifies societal polarization as a "wicked problem"—complex social issues that are difficult to solve due to incomplete knowledge, numerous stakeholders, and interconnected nature with other problems. The author argues that social media's advertising model has deepened societal divisions, creating echo chambers where different viewpoints become sources of hostility rather than understanding. Drawing on design theorist Richard Buchanan's work, the piece suggests that wicked problems like polarization, climate change, and inequality require systems thinking combined with collaborative, iterative approaches that understand both big picture and contextual details.

This article argues that leaders should balance data-driven decision-making with understanding human factors affecting customers, employees, and communities. It contrasts "leading with people" versus "leading with data," suggesting that while metrics like productivity and revenue are readily available and useful, they miss crucial human motivations and needs. The piece uses examples like furniture sales data (showing increased sales but missing customer preference for sustainable materials) and Dan Price's decision to implement a $70,000 minimum wage at Gravity Payments after learning about employee financial struggles. The article claims that human-aware leadership leads to better employee motivation, customer engagement, and business outcomes, recommending that leaders actively seek diverse perspectives and look beyond numerical data to understand the people their decisions impact.

This article discusses applying human-centered design principles to help businesses build resilience during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. It outlines four core principles: understanding the fundamental problem rather than just symptoms (using the example of remote work solutions that address broader business continuity rather than just providing laptops), focusing on all impacted people by understanding their needs and involving them in solution development, considering entire systems rather than isolated components (illustrated by chatbot implementation that might solve wait times but create misdirected queries), and iterating quickly through prototyping and testing. The piece references examples like Zoom's rapid scaling and Airbnb's pivot to homestays, emphasizing that companies following human-centered approaches during uncertain times should shift perspective from what's right for the company to what's right for the people surrounding it.